American Community Survey
Contents
American Community Survey 2023 -- released fall 2024
2024 ACS 1-year estimates available September 11, 2025 .. see Calendar
2024 ACS 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) .. October 16, 2025
2024 ACS Supplemental Estimates .. October 16, 2025.
2020-2024 ACS 5-year estimates .. December 11, 2025.
2020-2024 ACS 5-year PUMS .. January 22, 2026.
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the premier source of detailed information about the nation's people and housing, providing up-to-date data on social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics.
Purpose and History
The ACS was implemented in 2005 to replace the "long form" of the decennial census, which had been used to collect more detailed information from a sample of households every ten years. The Census Bureau found that relying on a decennial survey did not accurately reflect the rapid demographic changes in the United States. The ACS was created to provide communities with a continuous stream of updated information annually, allowing for more timely data on a variety of topics.
The information collected by the ACS is crucial for a wide range of uses, including:
| • | Government programs: Federal, state, and local governments use the data to administer programs, evaluate their effectiveness, and allocate funds. The data helps inform how trillions of dollars in federal funds are distributed each year. |
| • | Planning and decision-making: Public officials, community leaders, and businesses use the data to plan for things like new roads, schools, hospitals, and emergency services. It also helps businesses make decisions about where to locate or expand. |
| • | Research: Researchers and data users rely on the ACS to understand trends in the nation's population, housing, and economy. |
Methodology
The ACS is a continuous survey that samples approximately 3.5 million addresses each year across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The survey is sent to a randomly selected sample of households on a rotating basis. It is administered through a variety of methods, including the internet, mail, telephone, and in-person interviews.
Response to the ACS is required by law, just as with the decennial census. The Census Bureau is legally bound to protect the confidentiality of all individual responses.
Data Products
Because the ACS is a sample-based survey, it provides estimates with an associated margin of error. The Census Bureau releases data in different formats to meet the needs of various users:
| • | 1-year estimates: These estimates are based on data collected over a 12-month period and are available for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more. They are useful for data users who need the most current data on large populations. |
| • | 5-year estimates: These estimates combine data collected over a 60-month period (five consecutive years). The larger sample size makes these estimates more reliable and allows for data to be published for all geographic areas, including small areas like census tracts and block groups. They are ideal for analyzing very small populations or for when precision is more important than currency. |
The ACS provides data on more than 40 topics, including:
| • | Social Characteristics: Educational attainment, language spoken at home, disability status, veteran status. |
| • | Economic Characteristics: Income, employment, poverty status, health insurance coverage. |
| • | Housing Characteristics: Homeownership, housing costs, number of rooms, computer and internet use. |
| • | Demographic Characteristics: Age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin. |